Rep. of Congo builds 200-plus coffins after blastsRep. of Congo commissions hundreds of coffins after deadly blasts; allocates funds for victims
By The Associated Press

BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (AP) ' The government of the Republic of Congo has commissioned more than 200 coffins for the victims of last weekend's deadly explosions.

Brazzaville-based coffin-maker Toubi Eloge says the government had initially imported coffins from a neighboring country ahead of a state funeral planned for Sunday.

At least 246 people were killed when a fire at the country's main arms depot set off explosions that hurled mortars, shells and rockets into a populated residential neighborhood, flattening houses.

But Eloge says the coffins were of different designs, and the government decided it was best for the coffins to look uniform in order to convey the national character of the loss. The over 200 coffins are all hewn out of Kambala, a sturdy, blond wood.